Brake for controlling unrolling of cloth



Dec. 4, 1934. P. A DILLINGHA'M 4 1,983,440

BRAKE FOR CONTROLLING UNROLLING OF CLOTH Filed April '7, 1933 $8 lNVETOR ferr y aZ Patented Dec. 4, i934 UNITED STATES BRAKE FOR CONTROLLINGUNROLLING 0F CLOTH Perry Ashburn Dillingham, Asheville, N. 0., as-

signor to Sayles Biltmore Bleacheries, Inc., Biltmore, N. 0., acorporation of Rhode Island Application April 7, 1933, Serial No.664,963

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a brake means for controlling the let-off orunrolling of cloth while being folded in batches.

The standard method practiced in mills in handling cotton piece goodsand other cloth to facilitate its movement from one operation, or onemachine to another, is to batch or roll the cloth on wooden shells orcores containing approximately two thousand yards of cloth per roll. Incertain operations no tension is permissible on the cloth itself as itleaves the roll,

or let-off stand, and enters the next machine,

known as a yarding machine or hooker. The yarding machine or hookerfolds the cloth transversely in widths, and in accomplishing thisresult, pulls or unwinds the cloth from the roll supported by thelet-off stand adjacent the machine. This unrolling of the cloth iscaused by the momentum of the roll given to it by the yarding machine,and the momentum varies according to the diameter, that is to say, thelarger the roll the more cloth allowed to unroll after the machine hasbeen stopped. Such undesired unrolling of the cloth on the floor resultsin its being damaged or made inferior as a commercial product, and ifnot prevented leads to a considerable loss both as to material and cost.

Therefore the invention has for its principal object the provision ofmeans whereby to control the let-oif or unrolling of cloth in foldingthe cloth, so as to overcome the above mentioned disadvantages.

The invention resides in the combination, construction and operation ofthe parts hereinafter fully described and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic View, partly insection, illustrating the invention, the parts being shown in therelation which they bear to each other when cloth is being unrolled andyarded;

Fig. 2 is a plan and part section illustrating certain features.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing it will be apparent thatthere has been shown a suitable control means designated generally bythe reference numeral 10 constituting a part of a yarding machine orhooker for the purpose specified. The said control means constituting apart of said machine or hooker consists of a belt shifting means tostart and stop the machine. The yarding machine has not been illustratedsince the construction and operation is not claimed herein, it beingunderstood that the invention resides in the combination with a yardingmachine or hooker, and cloth let-off means, of brake means operated inresponse to the operation of the control means 10, for the statedpurpose. The control means or belt shifter 10 includes a rod 11 slidablein bearings 12 on the frame of the machine. The rod 11 has a shiftermember 13 on one end thereof to shift adriving belt indicated at 14, inconjunction with a fast and a loose pulley to start-and stop themachine, as will be understood. The rod 11 has a hand lever 15 foroperating the same.

In accordance with the practice, let-off means is arranged adjacent theyarding machine. The features of said let-off are not claimed herein andtherefore are not illustrated. However, in Fig. 2 a part of the roll ofcloth supported by the let-off means is illustrated, and it will be seenthat the roll consists of a wooden shell or core 16 and cloth 1'? woundon the shell or core 16. The core 16 has a bore extending therethroughto accommodate a shaft or axle 18, which is noncircular in cross sectionto rotate with the roll. The axle 18 is removable and the opposite endsare journaled in suitable bearings. In this manner the roll of cloth issupported for rotation so as to let off or pay out the cloth to be takenup by the yarding machine while the latter is in operation.

In accordance with the invention brake means is employed in conjunctionwith the axle 18. This brake means includes a drum 19 through which theaxle 18 extends whereby the drum rotates with the axle 18. Co-operativeshoes 20 pivotally connected as at 21 substantially surround the drum19, and have friction lining 22 movable into and out of contact with theperiphery of the drum 19. The shoes 20 have spaced terminals 23 and 24respectively, the former being fixedly secured to a substantiallyU-shaped bracket 25. The terminal 24 is movable toward and away from theterminal 23 in operating the shoes 20 to apply and release the brake. Anexpansion spring 26 is arranged between the terminals 23 and 24 to movethe shoes 20 out of engagement with the drum 19. The bracket 25 is fixedas at 27. An air brake cylinder 28 is fixedly secured to the bracket 25in relation to the terminal 24. A piston 29 is operable in the cylinder28 and has a rod 30 which projects outwardly through a removable head 31on one end of the cylinder. The rod 30 bears against the terminal 24 toforce it toward the terminal 23 when the piston is moved under thepressure of air admitted to the interior of the cylinder 28. A returnspring 32 surrounds the rod 30 between the piston 29 and the head 31 tocause the return movement of the piston and its rod, thereby allowingthe spring 26 to function to disengage the shoes 20. An airline 33 ofany suitable form has one end thereof connected with the cylinder 28 incommunication with the interior of the cylinder and its opposite end isconnected with a tank 34 supplied with compressed air. A control valve35 is connected in the air-line 33. The said valve 35 includes a rotaryValve member 36 having 'a threeway passage 37 therein. A safety valve 38may also be connected in the air-line 33.

In order that the brake will be applied to prevent the rotation of theaxle 18 and the roll of material carried thereby when the rod 11 isoperated to stop the yarding machine, and also to release the brake whenthe rod 11 is operated to start the yarding machine, there is providedmeans presently to be described. A rack 39 is secured to the rod 11, andthe teeth of said rack mesh with the teeth of a gear 40 secured to thevalve member 36. It is to be understood that any other practical meansmay be employed to rotate the member 36 'of the valve 35 in response tothe sliding movement of the rod 11.

In Fig. 1 the parts shown bear a relation in which the roll of cloth isfree to rotate as soon as the brake is released, and the yarding machinehas been started to perform the folding or yarding of the cloth, due tothe fact that the rod 11 has been pushed to its starting position. Inpushing the rod 11 to its starting position, the valve member 36,through the intervention of the rack 39 and gear 40 has been moved to aposition in which any air in the line between the cylinder 28 and thevalve 35 is bled to the atmosphere, the casing of the valve beingprovided with a port 41 for that purpose. By pulling on the rod II inthe direction indicated. by the arrow, the valve member 36, through theintervention of the rack 39 and gear 40 will be moved to a position toallow air to flow through the air-line 33 from the tank 34 to theinterior of the cylinder 28, thereby forcing the piston 29 ahead,causing the terminal 24 to move toward the terminal 23. This will causethe brake shoes 20 to engage the drum 19 to set up a braking action,thereby stopping the rotation of the axle 18 and the roll of clothmounted thereon. In this manner the cloth will be prevented fromunrolling on the floor simultaneously with the stopping of the yardingmachine. Therefore, after the yarding machine has been stopped, the rollof cloth will also be stopped from rotating under the force of momentum,and as a result the cloth will not be damaged, soiled or renderedinferior in quality, since it will be prevented from dropping ortouching the floor between the yarding machine and the let-ofi means.

I claim:

The combination with a cloth yarding machine including control meansincluding a rack for starting and stopping the machine; and cloth let-01f means, of a fluid operated brake including a fluid control valve tocontrol the operation of the let-off means, and a gear which cooperateswith said rack and the valve in response to the operation of said rack,to operate the gear, to open the valve, to apply the brake, for thepurpose of preventing the cloth from unrolling from the let-off meansafter the yarding machine has been stopped.

PERRY ASHBURN DILLINGI-IAM.

